Gandalf himself, Ian McKellen, confirms that there are two new Lord Of The Rings films planned, with another one following 2026’s Hunt For Gollum.
It was only a week ago that The Big Issue revealed, thanks to an interview with the legendary actor himself, that Sir Ian McKellen is potentially returning to the role of Gandalf for a new Lord Of The Rings film, subtitled The Hunt For Gollum.
Appearing on ITV’s This Morning show in a dapper chequered suit, McKellen again talked about his potential return to Middle-earth, but continued to make non-committal noises about signing up for the role.
“Well, all I know is that they [Warner Bros] called me up and said these films are going to happen, and they’re mainly going to be about Gollum,” McKellen said on the 9th September (as spotted by World Of Reel). “Andy Serkis, who played Gollum, is going to direct. And there’ll be a script arriving sometime in the New Year – and then I’ll judge whether I want to go back.”
There have been reports for a while that Warner has more than one Lord Of The Rings film planned – something McKellen also confirmed to presenters Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley. “I’m told it’s two films,” the actor said, adding, “I probably shouldn’t be saying this.”
McKellen sounds cautiously enthusiastic about playing Tolkien’s most famous wizard, then, though at this stage he sounds more attracted to flying back to New Zealand than the prospect of wearing a pointy hat and cape again. “I’d love to go back to New Zealand, number one,” he said, “and I don’t like the idea of someone else playing Gandalf.”
It’s over 20 years since the release of the last Lord Of The Rings film, The Return Of The King, and it’s said that The Hunt For Gollum will be set around the time 2001’s The Fellowship Of The Ring takes place. In order to get around the time gulf, Serkis and his team will use digital de-ageing technology to make the returning cast look more like their younger selves – a detail revealed by Legolas actor Orlando Bloom only a couple of days ago.
The Hunt For Gollum is scheduled for release in 2026, though with McKellen not due to receive a completed script through the post until early 2025, it’s a wonder whether its release will be pushed back before too long.
More Gandalf news as we get it.
